Saturday, October 6, 2012

Golfing for a Cause


It was the big day – our 2012 Tee-Off for Kids Golf Classic was finally here. I turned off my alarm clock and started digging through the closet for my tan “National Adoption Center” staff t-shirt. I cringed at the sound of heavy rain outside my window. The gray sky did not look promising. Would it clear up enough for the golfers to play? Bad weather was really going to hurt our numbers, and we had hoped this event would raise close to $60,000.
As I drove to Radnor Valley Country Club the sun started to peek out. Phew! The golfers arrived, dropping off their clubs and finding their assigned carts. After a BBQ luncheon, everyone gathered around the putting green for the opening contest and then the shotgun start sent the teams out to their respective tee holes.
Radnor Valley’s course proved to be gorgeous, and the golfers came back smiling a few hours later. We enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and cocktails before the buffet dinner and program. Phil Barnett and Bob Bechtold, board members and golf chairmen, talked about the National Adoption Center’s work of finding families for children living in foster care and thanked the golfers for supporting this important mission. Sports broadcaster Stan Hochman led an exciting live auction featuring sports items, a vacation home in the Poconos and a threesome to Merion Golf Club – home of the 2013 US Open! We closed the night out with the day’s awards and prizes, along with a make-your-own ice cream sundae bar!
All in all, the 2012 Tee-Off for Kids Golf Classic was a success. We raised nearly $60,000 and also built awareness to the need for adoption among the 105,000 youth living in foster care across the US.  

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